expecting
ex·pect·ing/ɪkˈspɛktɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
expecting is spelled E-X-P-E-C-T-I-N-G: 9 letters and 3 syllables (ex·pect·ing). It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, expecting means “Of a woman, female animal, or couple, in expectation of giving birth; pregnant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in expecting?
| Letters | 9: E-X-P-E-C-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ex·pect·ing |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,479th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is expecting?
Expecting appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce expecting?
- /ɪkˈspɛktɪŋ/
- /ɛkˈspɛktɪŋ/
Expecting has 3 syllables, split ex·pect·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-expecting.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with expecting?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as expecting.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: excepting.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of expecting
- more expecting comparative
- most expecting superlative
- expectings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does expecting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a woman, female animal, or couple, in expectation of giving birth; pregnant.
The expecting mother is enthusiastic about learning childcare.
- 2
Expectant.
noun
- 1
The process by which somebody expects something.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of expect
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Expecting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in expectation of giving birth; pregnant:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | werdende, erwartend, in anderen Umständen (sein), in gesegneten Umständen (sein), in guter Hoffnung (sein), in Hoffnung (sein) |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.